International Firefighter's Day

"The role of a firefighter in today's society - be it urban, rural, natural environment, volunteer, career, industrial, defence force, aviation, motor sport, or other is one of dedication, commitment and sacrifice - no matter what country we reside and work in. In the fire service we fight together against one common enemy - fire - no matter what country we come from, what uniform we wear or what language we speak."
Lt JJ Edmondson, 1999 ; IFFD.

Thank you, firefighting men and women, for all that you do for your communities and the people you serve. You are a special breed of people.

And especially to the fire fighters fighting the grass fires here in my area. As I type this late Sunday night / early Monday morning, I know many departments are very tired from fighting all day and another department (my dh's) just got called out to yet another! Thank you for keeping us safe.

May 3 - 4th, 2009 - There are 7 departments in our county. Of those seven, six have been called out at least once in the last 12 hours. And if this one that our department is currently headed to is any size, then the 7th will be called too!

I have to say that behind every excellent fire fighter is a supportive spouse (if that fire fighter is married). And so, to all those other spouses out there, I salute you as well. Thank you for the support you give your fire fighter. Without you, they could not do the job they are called to do.

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My dh sleeps a lot. And he sleeps hard. Every Sunday morning especially, but any morning that we have to go somewhere before 10, it is a chore to get him out of bed. He is NOT a morning person. He loves to sleep in until almost noon and stay up until the early morning hours each night. Usually it takes me an hour of reminders to get him moving. That's just the way he is; I've accepted that. However, the MOMENT that pager sounds, even before the dispatcher starts to speak, when he hears that link up tone, he is sitting upright and starting to dress. He is often (almost always) the first fire fighter that the hall, dressed and waiting for instruction. He LOVES his job as a fire fighter. Nothing gets him out of bed faster than the fire pager. And I'm glad!

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"International Firefighters' Day is observed each year on 4th May. On this date you are invited to remember the past firefighters who have died while serving our community or dedicated their lives to protecting the safety of us all. At the same time, we can show our support and appreciation to the firefighters world wide who continue to protect us so well throughout the year."




Striving to learn and live God's purposes,